The worlds largest lanthanide mine in the Mojave Desert
between Barstow, California and Las Vegas, Nevada was regulated
out of business by twenty-nine local, state and federal agencies
and by elected and appointed government officials.

The Peoples Republic of China becomes the principal
source of these strategic minerals.

This California deposit was accidentally discovered by three
uranium prospectors in 1949 while prospecting under the 1872 mining
law. Never before had such a large deposit of rare earth minerals
(lanthanides) been found in one location. The uranium
found proved to be uneconomic thorium, but the lanthanide minerals
found here touched off a high-tech revolution.

The Molybdenum Corporation of America (Molycorp, now owned
by Unocal) invested millions of dollars in researching potential
uses for these minerals. America became the dominant force in
developing this series of elements for a wide range of high-tech
uses.

Europium was one of the first elements to be marketed and is
used to produce the red color in television.

Samarium and neodynium are the elements required to produce
super magnets which, when used in electric motors, reduce the
motors weight and size by 50%. This new technology of miniaturized
electric motors is half the equation for a pollution-free electric
car.

Other rare elements found here are used in computer technology,
in replacing platinum catalysts for refining crude oil and in
strategic military applications. Rare earth elements used as catalysts
increase the production of gasoline per barrel of oil.

According to Gene Dewey recently retired president of Molycorp,
the element lanthium can be used to increase the energy efficiency
of lighting by up to 50%. If all the lights in America were converted
to this technology, half of all the energy consumed in lighting
could be saved.

During Molycorps routine flushing of their tailings pipeline,
several thousand gallons of fresh water was accidentally dumped
in the Mojave Preserve, which is managed by the National Park
Service. The company immediately offered to clean up the spill,
but federal officials delayed the process for months.

Twenty-nine government agencies arrived on the scene paralyzing
the cleanup efforts with conflicting regulations and agendas.
Senator Diane Feinstein and Representative George Miller encouraged
former Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt to impose Draconian
cleanup measures and fines on the company.

The Mountain Pass mine is located at the north end of an 80-mile
trend of rare earth mineralization, and is possibly the largest
known occurrence of rare earths in the world. These lanthanides
occur in a pre-Cambrian carbonatite sill in a mineral called bastnaesite.

Less than a decade ago, Feinstein and Miller passed the California
desert Wilderness Act, placing this national asset off limits
inside new national parks and wilderness areas. This latest regulatory
outrage was the coup de grace for Americas rare earth
industry. Former Molycorp president Gene Dewey said, They
simply made it impossible for the company to mine lanthanides
in America.

US Fish and Wildlife and California Department of Fish and
Game SWAT teams seized the company computers and records at gunpoint.
They held the employees incommunicado under armed guard, denying
them access to the company attorneys who were held outside at
the main gate. These federal agencies leveled more than $6 million
in fines and penalties against the company. This includes $1 million
for a dead desert tortoise that was found on the property. An
autopsy on the tortoise failed to show any wrongdoing on the part
of the company.

With Mountain Pass Mine out of business, we are dependent on
foreign sources for our supply of these minerals. Since other
countries produce only small amounts of rare earths, nearly all
of these militarily strategic minerals now come from Communist
China.

Note: For a detailed report see
the American Investigator documentary Desert Storm Troopers
at www.aitvshow.com, purchase
price is $24.90 including free shipping. It can be purchased by
sending a check to American Investigator TV, 270 Redwood Shores
Pkwy #59, Redwood City CA, 94065. Or contact Dana Allen at dana@newsrevolt.com or 650-654-1555.